Health 101: Mollie of Moon Rabbit Ayurveda

I am a huge fan of ayurveda (Remember, yoga's little sister? Don't remember? Click here for more info), so after I received a relaxing detoxifying ayurvedic massage from Mollie, I knew I had to feature her on the blog. She has a beautiful spirit, and I found her answers to be both profound and extremely comforting. Every one of these interviews deepens my understanding of health in some way, this is no different. Mollie has light to share with us all, get illuminated!

How would you define healthy living?

To me healthy living means to care for ourselves on the level of the body as well as the heart and the spirit. It's a balance. Sometimes we need to break the rules, take a day off our exercise routine and just sit in the yard with a glass of wine. It means allowing enough time to do the things we feel most blissful doing – time in nature, time playing music or making art, time enjoying the company of our loved ones and neighbors. That's how we feed our heart and spirit. It also means trusting we deserve to be happy and have our needs met, trusting the money will come, trusting Creator made us just right.

There is some research being done on people who lived to be over one-hundred years old in good health. In one study, some of these people drank liquor and smoked. What they all had in common was being deeply involved in the life of their families and communities - constantly giving and receiving love. Most of them were known for their sense of humor and up-beat attitude.

Gratitude is very important. If we are caught up in feelings of envy and lack, how can we enjoy anything? Nothing is ever enough. We become like bottomless wells. In my clinical practice, I always intend to work with the whole person – not simply prescribe herbs and foods, but engage with them on this deeper level, to create real health and happiness. What good is our health if we can't appreciate it?

Was there a turning point in your life that made you decide to become healthier?

Yes! I was just a kid. I was about to start junior high, and felt for the first time that I could reinvent myself entirely if I wanted. I ask myself, “What kind of life do I want to lead? What kind of person do I want to be?” I decided I wanted nothing less than the best, that if anyone else could be healthy, happy, beautiful, and smart, why not me? I was very idealistic and intense at the time, but I do still feel that way. I'd add “successful” to the list now.

We have all been wounded, it is part of life, and we can all move forward, we can all rise like the phoenix.

What piece of knowledge would you like to share with others?

Real healthy change takes time. And it is a not a straight line, but a spiral. We have to dip back into our old habits we are in the process of letting go of, usually a few times, in order to understand them better - so that we can truly finish with them and do the new healthy habits with conviction. In Ayurveda, we consider it an act of violence against ourselves to try to change too fast. If someone usually eats fast food or junk food three meals a day, I would start by suggesting changing one meal(the easiest one) to something healthy and nourishing, get that solid, and then move on to the next meal. Better to get one or two things really solid than temporarily improve a hundred things. Also - better to eat crappy food with a grateful heart than to unconsciously, ungratefully eat great food. No doubt.

What is the one natural product you can’t live without?

Easy question! Raw oils – olive and sesame are my favorite. I use them in food of course, but other than a splash of water, they are also the only thing I put on my face on a normal day. And on my body, the only thing I add is natural soap. That's it. It's my beauty non-secret! I've gotten most of my friends, my partner, and most of my regular clients using oil instead of lotion and other skin products, and they are hooked! I started this practice when I was 16 years old. Nobody told me to do it, maybe some spirit whispered it to me.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self?

Oh nothing really, I wouldn't have listened. I had to make my own mistakes. But one thing my mom said to me again and again was that when life gets really hard and we wonder how we can go on - that if we just wait - it gets easier again, every time. And I have found that to be true. That was good advice.

What makes you hella fresh?

The Buddha said, “If you see yourself in others, then whom can you harm?” I really feel that inside. Anyone I meet – whether they are a wealthy business person, an elder, somebody selling Street Spirit, a little kid, any animal, even a famous person or somebody it might seem like I have nothing in common with, I look in their eyes and I know that yes, we are different – each person/being is unique - but we are also the same underneath. And anywhere I go, any country, any city, I meet the most amazing people who just connect with me right away, right from the heart, I think because they feel safe with me. People can more easily be the best version of themselves when we see that in them from the beginning, when we show them real respect.